Don't Mix Blood Pressure Drugs with Antibiotics

The mixing of a common blood pressure medication, calcium channel blockers, with certain antibiotics may cause dangerous drops in blood pressure, according to a Canadian study.

Researchers have found that when calcium channel blockers are combined with antibiotics erythromycin or clarithromycin in the older adult, a dangerous drop in blood pressure can occur. This drop can lead to dizziness, falls, shock, organ failure or even death.

Senior researcher, Dr. David M. Juurlink of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, stated, “It is not far-fetched that a person would be on a calcium channel blocker and [an antibiotic] at the same time”.

Calcium channel blockers are a common medication prescribed for elevated blood pressure, or hypertension. They are particularly effective in elderly people and therefore are frequently prescribed for this age group. Common calcium channel blockers include Norvasc, Plendil, Coniel, Cardizem and Procardia.

Advertisement

When conducting the study, the researchers looked at the three most frequently prescribed antibiotics worldwide: erythromycin, clarithromycin, and zithromycin. After examining over 999,000 patient records they found that erythromyacin treatment, in conjunction with calcium channel blockers, lead to a six-fold increase in the risk for hospitalization for severe low blood pressure. Clarithromycin was linked to a four-fold increase.

It is believed that erythromycin and clarithromycin block the absorption of an enzyme essential for the metabolism of the calcium channel blocker in the body. The result is a sudden spike in blood levels of the calcium channel blocker and a rapid decrease in blood pressure. This effect, however, was not found with zithromycin.

This study was conducted exclusively on adults over the age of 65 due to their increased risk for morbidity as a result of low blood pressure.

Doctors should be aware of these findings and take them into consideration when prescribing medications to their patients. Zithromycin would logically be the better choice for an antibiotic if the patient is taking calcium channel blockers. Although these findings occurred in older adults, Juurlink and his colleges recommend that it be applied to patients of all ages.

The design of the study doesn’t allow for an accurate evaluation of the overall risk of combining these antibiotics, but the researches to believe that it is low. However, any avoidable risk, no matter how low, should be applied to practice.

Related Terms

Bringing cities back to scale by building walking neighborhoods could help reduce global arterial hypertension and could serve as a natural remedy for treating high blood pressure for millions of people in the world, says a British study released earlier this month.

Cashews have not always been touted as the healthiest of nut choices because of their high fat content. However, a new study shows that cashews may help to improve cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.

At 24 years old, Lauren Wasser was living her dream as a model in Los Angeles when the unthinkable happened. She tragically lost a portion of her right leg to toxic shock syndrome (TSS), and now doctors tell her she will inevitably lose a second leg.

When you think of summer,you think of watermelon, but did you know watermelon is one of the greatest heart foods you can eat? Melon is typically one of the most hydrating foods you can eat. It is easily digested and the hydration from melon is critical as it how to lower high blood pressure naturally and quickly, among other benefits

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection — sometimes referred to as SCAD — is an uncommon emergency condition that occurs when a tear forms in one of the blood vessels in the heart. This frightening condition strikes suddenly, without warning, and is most common in young healthy women in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, and you have probably never even heard of it.

The CDC estimates that 1 in 3 Americans suffer from high blood pressure (HBP), costing public health billions yearly, and while HBP is the leading cause of stroke, the medications used to control it, also increase the chances of having a stroke, according to a study from the University of Alabama. This alarming finding, makes it all the more necessary for patients to understand how to lower high blood pressure naturally.

The CDC estimates that about 75 million american adults have high blood pressure, which costs the nation a whopping 46 billion dollars a year. Uncontrolled blood pressure can cause a stroke via two ways: by the damaging and weakening of your brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak and also by the forming of blood clots in the arteries leading to your brain, blocking blood flow. But, there are 3 all natural approaches to lower high blood pressure.